Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's main policy priority is for 2017; and if he will make a statement.

I have set four priorities for the Ministry of Defence in 2017:

• achieve success on operations: particularly against Daesh in Iraq and Syria, but also delivering vital Defence and security in the UK and overseas 24/7. This includes the nuclear deterrent, and contingency planning to deal with the increasing threats we face.
• remain outward facing and internationally engaged: through NATO, including our leadership this year of the Very High-Readiness Joint Task Force, with key partners in Europe, with the new US Administration, and with other allies and partners around the world.
• continue to deliver the policies, plans and programmes set out in the SDSR: we will introduce new capabilities, progress the People Programme, embed innovation across the Defence enterprise, publish a refreshed industrial policy, and step up our Defence exports and wider prosperity work.
• keep Defence policy, our commitments, the forward programme and resources in proper balance.